After being lucky my whole adult life, luck caught up to me on my most expensive vehicle yesterday. A rock hit my windshield square in front of the steering wheel. It chipped and left about a 1" total diameter crack in each direction from the chip. Needless to say, the windshield has to be replaced.

I have State Farm insurance. I use them for all of my property insurance needs with 7 policies total. I have filed one claim in over 10 years which was a result of vandalism to my vehicle in a Walmart parking lot. That's what I get for shopping at Walmart.

Yesterday, I called the number to file a claim. As it was a windshield claim, they referred me to their third party service. The whole thing had a feel of a government operation. They seem to make it feel like you are doing something wrong for actually using your insurance.

Because the crack is in the direct line of sight, they said that it would have to be replaced. It cannot be repaired and I agree with that. So then, the operator made it a point to tell me what my deductible was. After that she offered to find a glass repair shop and set up an appointment to have the work done. As she was searching, I mentioned that she needed to find a shop that was able to provide the OEM windshield. She immediately said that OEM windshields aren't covered and that any costs above and beyond their normal cost, I would be on the hook for.
I immediately told her that I will wait until Monday to speak to my agent.
So here is the real question.... is there a difference between aftermarket and OEM when it comes to windshields? I also remember seeing that Ford is using glass with better acoustic properties than previous MYs.

All that being said, I am pretty frustrated with State Farm. Depending on how this conversation goes with them tomorrow, I am seriously thinking about filing the claim getting the repair done, then dumping them. This truck is less than 6 months old and they are expecting me to lay down while they put whatever parts they feel like putting in my truck.

If someone can tell me with some sort of truth that there is no difference in the glass, then I wouldn't have any problem with it. But I have heard stories about the quality. I really don't know who to believe.

Any thoughts?

 

There are real differences between glass brands. PGM (formerly PPG) and Pilkington do good stuff. Ford still uses the Carlite brand. Safelite is generally cheap Chinese glass. Many or most other brands are cheap Chinese imports. I would seek out the brand you choose from the shop you decide to use and pay any extra costs. The cheap stuff will crack more easily than the OEM glass.

I have been with State Farm since 1972 (that is 43 years) and the last couple claims I discussed with them made me feel like they were looking for any reason to increase rates. One was a hail damage thing and the other was a breakin thru a car window. I am running $500 deductibles and both of these claims fell under that price. I chose to live with a few hail dents on the one car and paid out of pocket for the broken window breakin damage.

I think it is their current company line to push you toward their suppliers (which are likely chosen because of low cost). I have also heard of State Farm jacking up rates because they don't like your credit rating and other "secret" reasons.

After all this time, I am inclined to find a different insurance company myself. I used to feel like my agent was my friend. Now he is my contact who has to toe his company line which is driven by greed and not quality, and he tries to sell me credit cards and 401(k) investment vehicles which are designed for profit.

George

 

Well, in the end I didn't even need my insurance. Carlite installed will be $414. They will be at my house tomorrow to install it. Carlite has a website that gives you part numbers for their soundscreen branded glass. Soundscreen Acoustic Glass Carlite
My dealer referred me to Glass America.
That woman at State Farm had me thinking that it was going to be much more expensive.
So We will see tomorrow.
I will be sure to post up some pics of the work.

 

Sounds good. Carlite is real Ford OEM so that should be a good windshield so long as the installation is done well. Glass America's website says they use Pilkington which is good glass as well.

Interesting that the price is fairly reasonable for the soundproof glass--I had thought it would be jacked up much higher than that. And avoiding an insurance claim is a good thing but $400 is still not fun to shell out.

Good luck,
George

 

Now it will be interesting to see if the windshield replacement issue stays on you insurance record. The last time I had a similar issue there was a record on my insurance. I paid out of pocket but they had a record of the event and brought it up when I talked to them at renewal time.

 

This is a good point. I have discussed a few *possible* claims like hail dents and my break-in with my insurance people and seriously hope they are not having to enter these events in some master database when I choose to make no claim. In both of these cases I came out under my deductible anyway.

The credit score affecting insurance prices really makes me angry. Clearly if someone is at a near-criminal status it might be more of an insurance fraud risk, but people with an average record should not be penalized. I would like it if insurance companies would post their rate-setting tables just so I can see what they're doing behind the scenes.

George

 

Good point. I too would like to see that.